Dakota Hudson #25Photo by Kelly PriceQuick hitters
Mississippi State pitcher Dakota Hudson speaking freely:Favorite player growing up: “The first pitcher I watched was John Smoltz.”Team other than Ole Miss you enjoy beating the most: “Georgia.”Best win at Sequatchie County: “Notre Dame in the district tournament.”Team you most want to play for: “I grew up around the Braves, but I would love to play for anybody.”Bigger man on campus, you or quarterback Dak Prescott: “I’m not comparable to that. He is Mississippi State’s star.”
These certainly qualify as exciting times in Dakota Hudson's life.
The former Sequatchie County High School pitcher is now the ace at Mississippi State, which is No. 3 in the Baseball America rankings. Hudson and the Bulldogs (33-14-1) play a three-game series at Auburn this week, close the regular season at home next week against Arkansas and will venture to the Southeastern Conference tournament at the end of the month in Hoover, Ala.
Next month contains the NCAA tournament and the Major League Baseball draft, which could include the 6-foot-5, 215-pound junior right-hander among the top 10 picks.
"I feel like the draft is the next step up to my dream," Hudson said Monday afternoon. "Getting the opportunity to play professional baseball is huge, and I can't really put it to words, but I'm not paying much attention to the draft right now."
Baseball America last week rated Hudson, who is 7-3 this season with a 2.80 earned run average, as the No. 13 overall prospect. The same publication several weeks ago had him going ninth overall in a mock draft to the Detroit Tigers (Tennessee third baseman Nick Senzel was projected to go No. 2 to the Cincinnati Reds).
Hudson could be the highest pick from the Chattanooga area since Ringgold High pitcher Kenny Henderson went fifth overall to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1991. Henderson bypassed the Brewers to play at the University of Miami and posted a 29-12 four-year mark with the Hurricanes, but he developed arm problems and never made it beyond high Single-A as a professional.
The Texas Rangers selected Hudson in the 36th round of the 2013 draft, but he chose to enroll at Mississippi State. He went 1-2 with a 4.67 ERA as a freshman in six games, including five starts, and went 1-1 with a 4.32 ERA in 17 relief appearances as a sophomore.
After last season, Hudson played in the Cape Cod League and went 4-3 with a 1.43 ERA in 13 appearances, seven of which were starts. He led the Cape Cod during the regular season with 41 strikeouts and helped the Hyannis (Mass.) Harbor Hawks to their first title series since 2000.
"I felt like I had the pieces and kind of realized that last spring, even though we had a tough season," said Hudson, who was a guest on "Press Row" on Chattanooga's ESPN 105.1 FM. "Going into the summer, I just kind of put it all together, got some good experience and took it from there. It's been a little different - I'm not going to lie.
"I got a few starts under my belt as a freshman and then got some experience out of the bullpen. I feel like I've seen almost every situation in college, so I feel comfortable with wherever they want to put me."
Hudson has been in the rotation all season this spring, racking up 85 strikeouts in 80 innings and being picked SEC pitcher of the week twice. The Bulldogs have not won an SEC regular-season title since 1989 and next month will be aiming for a 10th College World Series trip in program history.
Should Mississippi State reach those more immediate goals, perhaps then Hudson could begin turning his attention to the draft.
"It's a game that we're just going out there and playing," he said, "and it's a whole lot easier when you're surrounded by guys around you like the team we have. I honestly haven't thought about the draft that much.
"It's obviously there, but it's not my focus."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.